What Constitutes A Core Gamer?

TheCrapgamer over at gamerxchange writes: I have been gaming since the 1980′s and when I was younger I admittedly gamed just for the fun of it. As I grew older and found the thrill of competitive gaming the types of games I spent the majority of my time with changed as well, I was no longer content on a platform types of games or adventure games. If I didn’t get that thrill of the fight I wasn’t interested. Now that I am older, I still like the thrall of the fight but I also find that I have almost reverted back to a younger me, the me who enjoys platform games, adventure games and now even motion controlled games.

In my opinion it's as simple as this; gaming without an agenda. If you buy a console, for ONE game, your not a core gamer. If you buy a console soley because it's made by a specific company, your not a core gamer. If you play a game because everybody else, plays it, your not a core gamer. People think you have to eat, sleep, and play games,

That's pretty absurd. If that ONE game is Demon's Souls, you're a "core" gamer. If that company has been making games for 20+ years, with a wealth of "core" titles, you're a "core" gamer. If you play a game that everyone else is playing, you have good taste. "Core" gamers should eat, sleep, and play games.

I think you're a core gamer as long as you don't buy into cheap gimmicks, and we've seen a lot of that this gen. But in the end it depends on how you see it, I for one can see the obvious difference between a casual gamer and a regular.

30+ hours of Monster hunter a Week is very hardcore on Wii, so yes. And I know hardcore Tetris players, so why not? They may not be good at what you're good at, but if they do 30 hours of kinect, then they are a hardcore gamer, and I bet they could school you in all the games on kinect. Wasn't DDR called hardcore one upon a time?

A core gamer is someone who is passionate about gaming, and plays multiple genre's of games not just the popular games either. NO POSERS either you have to love gaming for what it is no alterior motives. You have to be a player even if COD and Wii Sports never came around to make it socially acceptable. I was there when it was not "cool" to be a gamer, when people used to call people like me game freaks and girls... let me not even get into that subject.

P.S. and a casual gamer is not just someone who plays a few hours a week, casual players play simplistic games only, ones with barely any complexity. Some core gamers may only have a few hours to spare during a week, let's say in japan you work or go to school 6, 7 days a week, but you love StarCraft(and other games) and you play them any chance you get, you are therefor a core gamer... who needs a vacation.

Call of duty is not a casual game! I stopped playing the series a few years back, but that was only because I had my fill of the world war theme. Because it is selling high numbers, does not make it casual.

I never said COD was casual, I said COD as well as Wii Sports made gaming socially acceptable, COD brought in a more casual crowd that now is more tolerant to core gamers like me, they won't be as fast to call me a game freak or ridicule me for being so passionate about games, and some of them actually try to join the core crowd.

COD is not casual, but it is more of a casual experience then others, because the game supports casual players skill levels, by having heavy aim assist and chopper gunner type perks and such. Nonetheless a pretty fun game.

I think a core gamer is a person who plays games consistently. They may only play a few games and genres but view gaming as a significant means for entertainment.

They don't necessarily hangout on videogame websites or keep up with the industry news but enjoy games that aren't just music/dance/party games even if it's just COD and sports games.

I think the core gamer shouldn't be confused with the hardcore gamer like most of us who are obsessed with the industry, probably buy a greater number and variety of games, and are less prone to purchase based on word of mouth because we're the original people spreading the word, even though we're probably the smallest market.